(Closed) SECOND TIME VENUE CANCELLED

When we first started talking about getting married, my FI’s daughter agreed that we could do it at her house. One night we went over to her beautiful home, had supper and then started talking about the arrangements, how we would place the tables, the flowers, the decorations etc. etc. etc. The next day and few weeks thereafter, I shopped and spent hundreds of dollars getting everything we needed to decorate her home. Fiance and I met with caterers and gave a deposit. We were going to be no more than 20 people at this wedding. A few months later, FI’s daughter tells her dad that she does not want anybody wearing shoes in her house. So none of the guests, including me, the bride, the servers etc. could wear shoes. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t imagine myself in my beautiful dress walking barefoot on the day of my wedding. The caterers refused to serve food without there shoes on. it was too dangerous, they told me. So, we had to cancel this so called venue and find something else. I called hundreds of places but couldn’t find anything else because it was too expensive or I didn’t have enough guests to be allowed to hold a wedding ceremony and reception at such and such a place. Then, one night, I found a web site where you wrote what kind of hall you were looking for. A restaurant owner replied and told me he might have the right place for me. Next day, I rushed to this restaurant and agreed it was really nice and it was what I was looking for. I gave him 250 $ as a deposit to hold the room for me. Over the last few months, I went to the restaurant to check things out, how we would place the tables, etc. I met with the owner to discuss the menu, the prices, etc. etc.

Each and every single time i went to the restaurant, i left with an uncomfortable feeling. Don’t ask me why, but I did. I never told anybody except one friend who is helping me with the wedding planning. Then, on friday evening, what I knew would happened, happened. The owner of the restaurant sent me a text telling me the restuarant was closing because of lack of business and unfortunately i would not be able to have my wedding ceremony and reception at this restaurant. I could not believe it! I had a meltdown. I honestly thought i was going to go nuts! We are getting married in a about 2,5 months and I knew what it was to try to find a venue in this city that we could afford. I already had all my wedding invitations printed out that I had paid for; there were all in envelopes with the required stamps; all the centerpieces are done; I mean everything was ready for this wedding and reception to take place in this restaurant.

I sent a text to the owner telling him i really did not appreciate what was happening, that I always felt I knew something was going to happen but I didn’t want to listen to my inner voice; that I thought he was very unreliable and that i would definitely write a post online about his unreliability and that i wanted my deposit back;

He text ne back saying i was cheap; that i had never supported his restaurant; that i had never gone to the restaruant and pay for a meal and that it is was because of cheap people like me that he had to close and that i would be the last person on his list who would ever get my money back!! I just thought; Silence is golden. I want nothing to do with this jerk ever again.

Of course, i immediately started searching for another place and went to see a beautiful room in another restaurant on friday evening. This is a restaurant I had always ignored because i knew it would just be too expensive. Well, holy macaroni, the place is a 100 % times better than what i had found before; I’m saving 400 $ and the wedding package menu is 100 % times better than what the other jerk was offereing us. This is a resturant that has been in business for 40 years, in a very trendy part of the city and which is very well renowned. I met the owner, discussed this and that about the wedding and monday I’m putting down a 250 $ deposit. My friend came and saw the place with me and we both agree having the other venue cancelled on me was the worst thing that could happen, but where my wedding will now be happening is 200 % times better. Thank the Lord.

Sorry for the long post but I just had to share my story in case another bee has to live what i went through on friday night. I truly believe sometimes things happen for a reason!

I too started questionning if it was legal for him to keep my money; i even thought about taking him to court for the money and all the distress he was causing me, etc. etc. but then i tought

f..k him! If i get my money back, great, if not , oh well. lession learned. I will though write something about him and his restaurant on the Internet. He did tell me the landlord would be renovating the restaurant and that eventually it could reopen and he would now be the general manger of the place! He certainly won’t get a good review from me!

Why, why, why does planning a wedding have to be so complicated?? I was all excited all weekend because I found another venue and i really, really, really like it. Its perfect and that is where I want to get married. Fiance knows how much I’ve been planning on this wedding. I would say that I’m the one who has done 99,5 % of the planning. Fiance, like many other FI’s Ive read about on this board, has devoted very little time to anything related to this wedding. I do share with him every single thing I’ve doneand he is very aware of all the time and work I’ve devoted to making this day special. I feel all he does is complain and yet he does nothing. He hasn’t phoned one single place to inquire about us having our wedding at ther restaurant in the nine months we have decided we were going to get married.

So, tonight, his sister calls and he tells her the situation with what happened with the last venue where we were supposed to have our ceremony and reception. She works for a lawyer and knows alot about all the legalities surrounding suing a person, etc. etc. I’ve decided I’m just going to let let the owner of the first venue alone and accept that it is what it is. So. Fiance tells his sister I found this other place and that I really, really like it. Her response was that she had eaten there (steak) and she didn’t like it at all so why don’t i wait a couple of days, she’ll talk to people at work and maybe she can suggest another place than the one I want.

Needless to say, I flipped out and Fiance and I had an argument about all this. I’m done with venues, seeing new venues, redoing the budget, you name it! Fed up with the whole thing. The place that I found on friday is perfect. I don’t care if his sister didn’t like her freaken steak. There are three other things on the menu she can choose from. And plus, I worked hours the other night redoing the wedding invitations which have to be sent out soon. The wedding is in about 2,5 months! Fiance seems to think we have all the time in the world. And plus the owner of the venue I visited on friday told me I had to call him on monday to confirm if we are going to take it or not.

Its so frustrating! I told Fiance tonight all my feelings about this venue, how sick and tired I was with the planning, etc. etc. He’s not a happy camper and to be honest, i don’t care! I told him that this venue is where the ceremony and reception will be at and if he’s not happy with it, he can stay home!!!

If you really like this new place. Keep it. Its very easy to fuck up a steak, and very hard to fuck up chicken. Whenever I go to a wedding I ALWAYS choose the chicken. As long as you have that option it should be fine and if not just because she might not of liked it, doesnt mean other people wont. I would also ask for a taste testing to ease your mind on the situation.

i did have something similar happen to me for my previous wedding. the caterer closed his doors only 1 month before the wedding. i only had a few days to find a new one as i was leaving for a week and then it would just be too late. luckily i found another one that offered better food and it was cheaper!!

My moms caterer called and cancelled on her a month out because they got a bigger wedding. Yep. What made matters worse was she chose these people because they catered all of the major events at the place my parents worked and met. She said it was awful and she ended up finding an add for a newer start up and they were amazing and the food was great and she told her work what happened and everyone at work and boom the old place got dropped like a hot potato from a major major contract. Karma.

Thank you AquamarineQueen for understanding me! What a relief. I was starting to feel guilty. I remember when I first started planning this wedding that everytime steak was served at a wedding, most of the time the guests complained about how it had been cooked. I have been a vegetarian for more than 30 years, so I know absolutely nothing about steak but I thought by giving the guests the option between steak, chicken and salmon, it would give the guests a chance to eat something else besides steak. I’m determined to have my wedding at this place.

Nice to know mypinkshoes that someone else has gone through what I went through. On friday when I got the text, I thought why, why, why does this have to happen to me!! like nobody else had ever gone through this! I’ve spent alot of time this weekend reading on this board and I now know that its not really unusual to have our venues cancelled. Ugh!!